Communal tension gripped Burj Jawahar Singh village in Faridkot district after the pages of Guru Granth Sahib were found scattered near a Gurdwara on Monday. More than 100 pages of the holy book were found scattered near a Gurdwara on Monday morning. The villagers, who came to Gurdwara to offer morning prayers, spotted the pages and immediately informed the police.
The incident led to a complete shutdown of town. Sikh leaders gathered at the Gurdwara to discuss their next course of action. The police has meanwhile stepped up security in the town and adjoining villages, said Faridkot Senior Superintendent of Police SS Mann.
Describing the “sacrilege” as a “crime against Punjab and Punjabiyat”, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on Monday directed State police chief Sumedh Singh Saini to take prompt action against the perpetrators of this “ghastly act”. At the same time, he urged the people to maintain peace and communal harmony.
Sukhbir, who also holds charge of the home portfolio, said that the act of sacrilege was sponsored by certain forces who wanted to sow the seeds of communal tension in
Punjab and take the State back to turbulent times.
“This could be ascertained from the timing of the sacrilege which has occurred at a time when communal tensions are already high in other parts of the country. Certain forces want to incite communal feelings for their narrow vested interests but the Punjab Government will not let this happen at any cost,” he said.
Sukhbir also directed the DGP to personally monitor the entire operation to ensure those who had committed sacrilege at a Gurdwara in Burj Jawahar Singh village are brought to justice.
He also directed the DGP to create a special police team to carry out investigation into the case and conduct raids to apprehend the accused.
Sukhbir also reminded the people that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had acted as a bulwark against separatist forces and had always championed the cause of peace and communal harmony. “I assure the people of Punjab that peace and communal harmony will be preserved at all cost and the miscreants responsible for the sacrilege will be brought to book,” he said.